Extreme strategies may help win the race against rapid climate change.

Climate change isn’t just a human problem; it could also dramatically alter the habitats — and limit the survival prospects — for many already fragile species of flora and fauna, warn scientists. Salvation strategies once thought too radical are now under serious consideration, according to the National Science Foundation.

“Managed relocation,” also known as “assisted migration,” involves deliberately moving species to new habitats that they can easily adapt to when their own have become inhospitable. Such measures have been considered — and ruled out — in the past, but now are on the table thanks to new scientific protocols developed to help decision makers know when, where, how, and which species to relocate.

“It is becoming overwhelmingly evident that climate change is a reality; and it is fast and large,” says working-group co-leader Jessica Hellmann of the University of Notre Dame. “Consequences will arise within decades, not centuries, so action seems much more important now than it did even five or 10 years ago.” In other words, doing nothing has become the riskier choice in many cases.

Historically, slower-paced climate change has allowed species to adapt, either by evolving or by relocating. But now, climate change is accelerating, potentially trapping species in uninhabitable locations. In addition, obstacles such as cities and other human developments stand between threatened populations and their best alternative homes, the researchers note.

How can scientists be certain that introducing a species into a new environment will both succeed for that species and not produce undesirable consequences for the environment? The short answer is, they can’t. However, “we can make informed predictions with stated bounds of uncertainty,” says David Richardson of Stellenbosch University in South Africa. The history of intentional and accidental species introductions has taught scientists to carefully evaluate potential impacts of such dramatic interventions.

The researchers’ goal is to develop an effective tool for calculating the risks, costs, and tradeoffs of a relocation. Stakeholders will then have a scoring system based on multiple criteria.

“The tool takes advantage of the fact that, although science can’t tell us exactly what will happen in the future, it can tell us how likely a favorable result is — useful information for decision makers,” says NSF program director Nancy Huntly. — Cynthia G. Wagner